At Colgate\u2019s 205th Commencement, keynote speaker Ole Obermann \u201993, global head of Apple Music, told the Class of 2026: \u201cYour personal relationships will become even more important in the future.\u201d He expressed hope that, alongside the knowledge graduates have gained at Colgate, they can also take with them human connections, chance encounters, and serendipitous classes that no algorithm or artificial intelligence could provide. \u201cAnd Colgate has prepared you very well for that,\u201d he said at the May 17 ceremony. \u201cColgate attracts and trains great minds with an extraordinary ability to interact with others. Make sure you connect the dots that Colgate puts out there for you.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Calling attention to the transformations that will accompany the expansion of artificial intelligence, Obermann maintains a belief in the importance of human imagination and experience. \u201cThere is a growing sentiment that AI can take over creativity as stories, scripts, songs, and designs become automated,\u201d he said. \u201cI feel exactly the opposite is true. Soul, love, joy, and taste will matter even more in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In remarks the day before at the baccalaureate service, University President Brian W. Casey stressed the lifelong importance of addressing the question \u201cWhat are you committed to?\u201d Casey explained the significance of the query by specifying that \u201ca commitment is different from a preference, which can be lightly held, and it is different from a plan, which often changes. A commitment asks something of us. It\u2019s deeper somehow. It can hold you steady when the next step is not yet visible.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Such positions, he further noted, arrive in a variety of forms and at unexpected junctures, for \u201cpart of the wonder of life is that our commitments can emerge and deepen over time. Some are chosen. Some are discovered. Some arrive through loss. Some arrive through love. But I hope Colgate has helped you begin to know yours.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also addressing the class at the May 16 service, journalist Ann Curry \u2014 who was awarded an honorary doctorate at Sunday\u2019s commencement ceremony \u2014 encouraged the class to find sources of consolation amid life\u2019s inevitable chaos. \u201cI encourage you to collect your own consolations,\u201d Curry urged the graduates. \u201cChoose what most resonates with you. Keep them close\u2026. They will grow. And you might well find you can breathe easier during your worst of times and feel inspired toward your best of times.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n